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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27207922">constructive interference</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_IPRE/pseuds/The_IPRE'>The_IPRE</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Magnus Archives (Podcast)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Hopeful Ending, Post-Episode: e160 The Eye Opens (The Magnus Archives), the world is over but not for them!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 18:36:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,033</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27207922</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_IPRE/pseuds/The_IPRE</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It is strange how easily things continue after the world ends.</p>
<p>Georgie and Melanie restart What the Ghost, this time with a bit of an end-of-the-world spin.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Georgie Barker/Melanie King</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>constructive interference</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Happy birthday! This idea has been bouncing around in my head ever since we talked about it, and I hope I was able to do it justice</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Georgie: </strong>
</p>
<p>Hey there, haunts fans! I’m your host Georgie Barker, and this is another episode of What the Ghost, your weekly insight into ghouls, ghosts, and ghastly goings on.</p>
<p>
  <strong>Melanie: </strong>
</p>
<p>Well. Not quite weekly anymore.</p>
<p>
  <strong>Georgie: </strong>
</p>
<p>Correct! As my lovely cohost Melanie King-</p>
<p>
  <strong>Melanie: </strong>
</p>
<p>Aw, babe, you flatter me.</p>
<p>
  <strong>Georgie:</strong>
</p>
<p>-was saying, things have changed quite a bit since the last episode.</p>
<p>
  <strong>Melanie: </strong>
</p>
<p>Who knows if you can even hear this! Radio is a new medium to the both of us, and it’s not like we know if anybody is actually out there to hear us anyway. And yet we press on!</p>
<p>
  <strong>Georgie:</strong>
</p>
<p>Melanie’s right! The world has ended, and for all we know, we’re the last ones left out of the apocalypse.</p>
<p>
  <strong>Melanie: </strong>
</p>
<p>If we aren’t, though…</p>
<p>
  <strong>Georgie: </strong>
</p>
<p>If we aren’t, we probably have a better idea of what’s going on than anybody else out there. It’s our solemn duty to do what we can to help!</p>
<hr/>
<p>It is strange how easily things continue after the world ends. </p>
<p>Melanie finds herself sitting on the closed toilet seat in Georgie’s bathroom, listening to the buzz of her girlfriend’s clippers. Even with the world gone to shit outside, Georgie still takes care to touch up her fade, saying that she can’t give up on her personal style just because everyone has been lost to ceaseless watching and overwhelming fear.</p>
<p>Even if Melanie would guess that it probably has more to do with regaining control in a time where everything is so thoroughly out of theirs, she isn’t going to say anything about it. Who is she to begrudge a healthy coping mechanism?</p>
<p>A meow breaks through the buzzing of the clippers and Georgie’s light humming, and the Admiral wraps himself around Melanie’s ankles. She reaches down to scritch him behind the ears, feels his purring rumble up through her fingertips. Honestly, Melanie isn’t quite sure how the Admiral has remained so unchanged. No mutated stinger or extra legs, and despite everything else he seems like nothing more or less than a cat. Not like she’s going to look that particular gift horse in the mouth. </p>
<p>Probably can be written off as something about being as fearless as his owner, anyway.</p>
<p>She wouldn’t actually be that surprised if all cats were left untouched by the end of the world. In her experience – limited as it may have been, she’d never had a cat of her own – they didn’t seem to much mind the ceaseless attention.</p>
<p>Georgie’s clippers click off as Melanie continues petting the Admiral, wincing when his claws briefly dig into her foot even through her fuzzy socks. “Any plans for the next <em> What the Ghost </em>?”</p>
<p>“It’s been a while since I’ve done anything about gray ladies, I might make a sequel.” It has been a while since Georgie has done any episode. Research isn’t exactly easy, now, with the whole apocalypse situation swirling outside the apartment wreaking havoc on their internet. More importantly, it wasn’t like there was anyone to listen to the show, or a handy podcast app to host it on. Makes for a fun game to talk about, though, just one more way to try and hold onto a sense of normalcy in all of this. </p>
<p>There is a familiar clacking as Georgie disassembles her clippers, the running of the sink. Hand brushing through the Admiral’s fur, for a moment Melanie is almost able to feel as though there is nothing beyond the small bathroom of Georgie’s apartment.</p>
<p>Then, an echoing howl from outside. Stay locked up though they may, it’s tough to ignore the world falling apart around them. “Did you ever think about talking about the End?” Words casual in an attempt to pretend that Melanie hasn’t been thinking about them for longer than she would care to admit.</p>
<p>She can almost hear Georgie still. “No. Not really. It’s difficult to put fun sound effects to traumatizing experiences, you know?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, can’t argue that. Still.” One of Melanie’s shoulders comes up in a shrug. “Can’t stop wondering what it’s like for everybody who didn’t get the same crash courses that we did.”</p>
<p>“Some sort of personalized-pan-hell, probably,” Georgie says, and then there is a light brush against Melanie’s cheek as a kiss is placed there. There is a moment of pause, and the Admiral moves away with an affronted meow after Melanie stops petting him. “Why are you bringing it up now?”</p>
<p>Georgie taps the back of Melanie’s hand and she laces their fingers together, lets herself be pulled up. “I’ve been thinking.”</p>
<p>“A dangerous pastime,” Georgie says, and Melanie can hear her smile, returns it with one of her own.</p>
<p>“I know. Still, might have an interesting idea. At the very least, it could be a way to waste some of our time.”</p>
<p>A kiss, hidden from the destroyed world in the home they created. “Tell me more.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <strong>Melanie: </strong>
</p>
<p>The world has had these fears leaking in around the edges ever since there were animals capable of feeling fear-</p>
<p>
  <strong>Georgie: </strong>
</p>
<p>And now the floodgates have opened. They’re not just lurking around the edges of the world, they appear to be very here and very present.</p>
<p>
  <strong>Melanie: </strong>
</p>
<p>Not great for most of you listeners!</p>
<p>
  <strong>Georgie: </strong>
</p>
<p>That’s one way to put it. We’ve been spared-</p>
<p>
  <strong>Melanie:</strong>
</p>
<p>For reasons that we won’t be getting into here.</p>
<p>
  <strong>Georgie:</strong>
</p>
<p>-but it seems like most everybody else hasn't been. </p>
<p>
  <strong>Melanie: </strong>
</p>
<p>If you’ve found yourself unaffected by any nasty fear nightmare, congrats on winning the apocalypse lottery!</p>
<p>
  <strong>Georgie: </strong>
</p>
<p>We don’t really know what it’s like out there, but we have some guesses, and- Well, it isn’t something that I would wish on anyone.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Making a home radio station from scratch is not an easy thing. A dusty book on Georgie’s shelf explores the history of radio, and the wires running through the walls are easily repurposed. </p>
<p>The candles that have to light the place are probably a fire hazard, but they don’t get too much use. It’s not like Melanie needs them, anyway, and Georgie’s spent enough time pacing the apartment to be able to walk it by the dull lights flickering in through the windows. </p>
<p>Georgie’s once neat recording booth gets messier and they figure out how to attach an antenna to their kitchen window without disturbing the connected planter that is trying its hardest to grow tomatoes, but it gets to the point where there isn’t much else they can do. Research done and wires crossed, there is no way to know if it will work.</p>
<p>All that there is left to do is start recording.</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <strong>Georgie: </strong>
</p>
<p>We don’t know if anyone can hear this, but we’re going to do our best to keep it going. </p>
<p>
  <strong>Melanie: </strong>
</p>
<p>Can’t make new episodes around the clock, gotta have some time for ourselves.</p>
<p>
  <strong>Georgie: </strong>
</p>
<p>That’s- yeah. We’ll record new episodes when we can, maybe weekly?</p>
<p>
  <strong>Melanie: </strong>
</p>
<p>But who knows what a week is anymore anyway!</p>
<p>
  <strong>Georgie: </strong>
</p>
<p>[laughs] At some point, after some period of time may or may not have passed, we’ll record a new episode. Better?</p>
<p>
  <strong>Melanie: </strong>
</p>
<p>That is good enough for me. I don’t know if it’ll work, but until then, we- we’re going to try and leave this repeating. Again, new to radio, but…</p>
<p>
  <strong>Georgie: </strong>
</p>
<p>We’ll do what we can.</p>
<p>
  <strong>Melanie: </strong>
</p>
<p>Yeah. Uh! Anyway, thanks for tuning in, anybody out there wandering the fear-ridden wastes!</p>
<p>
  <strong>Georgie: </strong>
</p>
<p>Thanks for listening, and remember: stay out of the shadows!</p>
<p>[Static crackles.]</p>
<p>
  <strong>Georgie: </strong>
</p>
<p>Hey there, haunts fans! I’m your host Georgie Barker, and this is another episode of What the Ghost, your weekly insight into ghouls, ghosts, and ghastly goings on.</p>
<hr/>
<p>“Somehow, the tomato plants are actually growing well.”</p>
<p>Georgie looks over to where Melanie stands by the window of their kitchen, rubbing a leaf from their window box garden between her fingers. “Honestly! I would have thought that a lack of sunlight might put a damper on things.”</p>
<p>Melanie takes the few steps to where Georgie stirs the pasta on the stove. “I’m not gonna look too deep into it. Smells like tomato, though!” </p>
<p>Georgie sniffs at the offered leaf, crushed slightly between Melanie’s fingers, and sighs. “I can’t wait to actually have a little bit of fresh produce again. Of course I’m glad that the pantry hasn’t seen fit to run out of pasta yet, but I would do unspeakable things for a fresh apple.”</p>
<p>“The worst part about the end of the world.” Melanie puts her hands around Georgie’s waist, likely having to stand on her toes to be able tuck her chin over Georgie’s shoulder as well. </p>
<p>The strange noises drifting through the open window fade away as they sway in place, Georgie stirring the pasta as it cooks. </p>
<p>It feels just like every other day since the end of the world, Melanie moving to place kisses against Georgie’s neck, Georgie tilting her head to bare her throat.</p>
<p>There is a thud against the door, and Melanie groans, still pressed against Georgie’s back but pulling her mouth away. “Cockblocked by the apocalypse yet again.”</p>
<p>Georgie tilts her head against Melanie's with a grin and passes her spoon through the boiling water, but then there is another knock at the door, more purposeful this time. </p>
<p>Melanie tenses against her, grip tightening around Georgie’s middle. Hand carefully steady, Georgie turns off the stove.</p>
<p>For all of the strange noises the world conjures these days, few come in contact with their apartment and those that do are glancing at most. Something knocking on their door, brazen as anything, is uncharted territory.</p>
<p>They are still, waiting for the third knock that will push the encounter from strange coincidence into genuine concern. When it comes, a quick tapping that Georgie would categorize as nervous if it were any other situation, Melanie moves away from her back. Georgie turns and there is already a knife in her hand, tucked up against her wrist like it has been there her whole life.</p>
<p>Georgie sets her spoon down on the counter and heads to the door. </p>
<p>The peephole is a useful feature when she actually remembers to use it, and as Georgie looks through, breath caught in her throat, it reveals none of the imagined horrors her fearless mind had been able to cook up. </p>
<p>Instead, there was just a person. In one awkward hand they hold a cane close to their chest, much like the one that Melanie had folded on her side of the dresser. There is some sort of strange mechanical contraption tucked under their other arm, and a nervous frown crosses their face before they knock again. </p>
<p>“Georgie Barker? Melanie King? I think this is your apartment – I hope this is your apartment, it’s where the signal was coming from, and all of the other doors in this building are hollow and making weird noises? But – um, I heard your apocalypse episodes? Special edition <em> What the Ghost</em>? And it was honestly really nice to hear that there were other people out here in the world and even better that they – that you! – actually have a clue about what’s going on, because it’s been <em> really </em> weird out here and I’ve been <em> so </em> scared, and- uh. I get not wanting to open your door to a stranger, especially not with everything else going on, but. Please?”</p>
<p>Georgie looks to Melanie, back against the wall next to the door. “Should we?” Her voice is a whisper. </p>
<p>Some of the tension visibly eases from Melanie’s body, head tilted to the door more from curiosity than defensiveness. “Who are you?” </p>
<p>There is a startled noise from the other side of the door. “Oh! Oh, right, sorry, I’m Ava? I don’t want to intrude, but it’s so nice to know that there’s actually some sort of reason to everything that’s been going on, and you’re the only proof of other people existing, and. Yeah.”</p>
<p>Georgie looks to Melanie, voice quiet when she speaks. “I’m for it if you are.”</p>
<p> “I mean, it’s what we restarted the show for, right?” Melanie smiles, and there is a fierceness to it that Georgie would almost call hope.</p>
<p>She taps the back of Melanie’s hand, feels her lace their fingers together, and Georgie opens the door.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Feel free to leave a comment or kudos, or come talk to me on tumblr at <a href="https://the-ipre.tumblr.com">the-ipre</a>!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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